Five of North America’s most pioneering cannabis industry professionals gathered in the Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus’ Yerich Auditorium Sept. 10 to share their wisdom and experiences when it comes to the legalization of Cannabis.
The panel discussion, hosted by Niagara College’s entrepreneurship hub, ncTakeOff, in partnership with the College’s School of Environment and Horticulture, featured industry reps from as close as Beamsville, and as far away as Washington state. The diverse group spoke to a packed auditorium of students, staff, faculty and community members about a range of topics surrounding the legalization of cannabis, from marketing, packaging, and career opportunities, to the social and legal ramifications of legalizing the plant.
Jennifer Maccarone, from UP Cannabis, and Jason Fleming from Medreleaf, both of whom have partnerships with the College, brought a Canadian perspective on the future of cannabis as the country prepares for legalization on Oct. 17. Both spoke to the complexity of introducing legalized cannabis, both to consumers and businesses, and stressed the importance of continued education and awareness among users, employers and communities. “We need to continue the conversation, continue the education,” said Maccarone.
Niagara College has taken a leadership role in that education, launching Canada’s first post-secondary credential in the production of cannabis. That program and others will help companies like UP Cannabis as they expand their business, and their workforce along with it, as is happening at its Beamsville facility. “Its going to draw jobs to this area.”
“the more people we bring into this industry, the more people we can talk to, and educate, and then that helps educate the whole country,” said Maccarone.
Alex Cooley, co-founder of Washington state cannabis company Solstice – the first licensed facility in the state – shared his life experiences as one of the first producers of cannabis to come online when the state legalized cannabis. “I was essentially like each and every one of you – I was a college student. It’s all I’ve ever done. It’s very much my life.”
Cooley, who also gave a guest lecture to students in Niagara College’s Commercial Cannabis Production program earlier in the day, traveled over 60 hours across the continent by train to speak with the Niagara College community.
the panel also featured Cy Scott, CEO of Headset, a company that specializes in gathering and sharing business intelligence relevant to the growing cannabis industry. Scott also founded the popular cannabis information website Leafly. as well as April Pride. In 2016, Pride founded Van der Pop, a uniquely female-focused cannabis brand that is now among the most widely recognized in North America.
“I just felt like there was a different way to do it,” said Pride. “Women didn’t really have a voice in the industry at all, and female consumers had so many questions. ” I think Van der Pop has successfully spoken to more women that would not have been reached out to otherwise.”
that discussion led to questions about how the cannabis industry, as an emerging new workforce, is positioning itself to tackle gender inequality.
“I think the cannabis industry has done a good job of trying to be inclusive. We’re building a brand new industry in today’s world and today’s world is about inclusion,” said Scott. “I think there’s plenty of room to do better, but I think we’re off to a decent start.”
The panel discussion is the second in a series of events hosted by ncTakeOff exploring the future of cannabis, both here in Niagara, and beyond. The first was held in early 2018 and featured St. Catharines MP Chris Bittle, Commercial Cannabis Production program coordinator Bill MacDonald, Blake Landry from Niagara Economic Development, and Jennifer Maccarone.
“ncTakeOff is happy to facilitate these kind of events because it continues to encourage innovative and entrepreneurial thinking on campus,” said ncTakeOff manager Madi Fuller. “The cannabis industry is a new innovation that will create jobs across Canada, especially in the Niagara region. We have so many unique student-run businesses and it’s important to provide them an opportunity to learn about emerging business industries.”
What an incredible discussion about cannabis legalization and US/Canadian comparisons. So grateful that @niagaracollege is part of the conversation. @bmacdonald282 @madifuller13 @ncTakeOff pic.twitter.com/v0Yh5nOC5s
— Viv Kinnaird (@VivKinnaird) September 10, 2018
